An apparatus for indicating that a food has reached a desired temperature and is “done” cooking.
Some people, including pregnant women and their unborn babies and newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and individuals with certain chronic illnesses, may be at high risk for developing foodborne illness. The most commonly recognized foodborne infections are those caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7, and by a group of viruses called calicivirus, also known as the Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends using a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry, and even egg dishes in order to prevent the spread of foodborne illness due to the presence of harmful bacteria in the food.
Temperature indicators for cooked foods, especially meats, are well known in the art. Typically, such temperature indicators include an outer housing and an internal, centrally located and movable stem. The stem is typically spring loaded and held in a withdrawn configuration or position by a solid, fusible material. Upon attainment of the desired temperature, the fusible material softens, allowing the force of the compressed spring to push the stem outward, thereby indicating that the desired temperature for the cooked food has been obtained.